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Bezzo type I - Andrea Gritti
| Issuer | Republic of Venice |
|---|---|
| Year | 1523-1538 |
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| Value | 1/2 Soldo (1⁄40) |
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| Obverse description | Central field dominated by a bold cross pattée with pellets or small ornamental devices filling each of the four quadrants between the arms. The cross is rendered in a simple, robust style characteristic of Venetian hammered coinage of the early sixteenth century. A circular legend surrounds the design, reading ANDREAS GRITI DVX, identifying the reigning Doge Andrea Gritti. The coin's irregular flan and uneven strike are consistent with hand-struck production at the Zecca of Venice. The overall relief is low and the surfaces show natural wear typical of a circulating minor denomination. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | ✠ ANDREAS GRITI DVX (Translation: Andrea Gritti, Doge) |
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| Additional information |
The bezzo was Venice's workhorse small silver, and Gritti's reign produced these in quantity to meet demand from the Rialto markets and the terraferma economy. Gritti himself was elected Doge in 1523 after a career as a merchant and Venetian bailò in Constantinople — he spoke Turkish and had fathered children there — which made his tenure unusually oriented toward eastern trade diplomacy rather than military confrontation.
Montenegro distinguishes at least two type variants for Gritti's bezzetti. This Type I predates the revised reverse arrangement introduced mid-reign.